How Do I Deal?
by Street Mouse
Summary: Characters we all know in situations we all know. Loosely inspired by real life events from my life, this is a story about things we all go through in high school from frenemies, to crushes, first loves, heart break, family, friendship and all the good times and drama that comes with being a teenager. Featuring Disney and non-Disney characters.
1. Chapter 1

_**This story is going to include most of the human Disney characters as well as characters from Quest for Camelot, The Prince of Egypt, Rise of the Guardians, Titan A.E., Thumbelina, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest and Anastasia. There will also be a lot of crossover couples as well as canon couples. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"You're gonna _love _Burgess High," Odette gushed as she unlocked her car.

Meg resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her new step sister as she got into the car. Last year Meg was perfectly happy living in Philadelphia with her mom. But then her mom met William, Odette's father, and they got married over the summer. So Meg and her mom moved into William's house in Burgess and now she had to go through her senior year at a new school. To say Meg was unhappy about the move was a vast understatement.

To make things worse, her step sister was your typical high school pretty girl; long blonde hair, great skin, perfect body. On top of that she was also class president and a cheerleader. She irritated Meg. Meg was a loner who pulled average grades and didn't participate in anything at school. She preferred to fly under the radar of the rest of the students.

Odette sped through the small town, weaving in and out of traffic. "I'll introduce you to my friends when we get to school, so at least you'll know some people on your first day."

Meg nodded, but didn't say anything. She wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting any of Odette's popular friends, but she was trying to be nice to Odette so she didn't make her mom angry.

Odette pulled into the parking lot and turned off her car. Meg got out and slipped her messenger bag over shoulder. The school looked liked any other school, but it was still strange and unfamiliar.

Odette linked her arm with Meg's. "Welcome to Burgess High."

-X-X-X-

"Black coffee, mocha frappuccino and green tea please," Jasmine ordered.

The woman behind the counter rang up Jasmine's order then walked away to make the drinks. She returned a couple minutes later and set the drinks on the counter.

"I can't believe we're finally seniors," Kida said, taking her tea.

"You mean _already _seniors," Jasmine corrected, picking up the coffee. "High school is going by so fast."

"Not fast enough." Jessica Rabbit put her sunglasses back on and grabbed the mocha before walking out of the coffee shop ahead of her friends.

Jasmine and Kida followed her outside and got into Kida's convertible. Kida pulled away from the coffee shop and took off down the street. Jasmine closed her eyes as the wind blew through her long black hair. Jasmine was elected Homecoming Queen and Winter Queen every year since she was a Freshman and was also prom queen last year, but this year she was going to be more than just the queen of the dances; she was going to be queen of the school.

-X-X-X-

"How in the world can you walk and read at the same time?" Cinderella asked.

"It's easy," Belle replied, not looking up from her book.

"I guess a better question would be _why _are you reading while walking?"

"This is last book on the summer reading list and I'm so close to finishing it."

Belle didn't have to look at her friend to know she had her eyebrow cocked and was now carefully chewing her gum; her typical response to Belle doing unusual things.

"They don't give you extra credit for reading the entire list," Cinderella told her.

"I know that. I just like reading." Belle finished the book and closed it.

"Well, reading the entire summer reading list is still a more exciting way to spend the summer than what I had to do," Cinderella said. "I mean, how come my step mom made me go work as a _housekeeper_ at the Inn, but my step sisters got to spend the whole summer by the pool and at the mall?"

Belle nodded politely as her friend went on a rant that was very similar to the one she went on at the beginning of the summer when she had to start her job. Belle worked part time at the library and actually loved her job. She also loved having her own money. Cinderella was hoarding her money since her step mom demanded that once Cinderella turns eighteen she gets half of Cinderella's paycheck for rent.

"Can I come over after school?" Cinderella asked. "I really don't want to spend any more time at home than I have to."

"You don't have to ask. You know my dad sees you as a second daughter; you're always welcome."

-X-X-X-

"Merida, I need you to come home right after school today," Elinor told her daughter.

"Why?"

"We're going in to get your dress fitted for Saturday."

"A _dress _fitting?" Merida repeated, as if her mother had just told her they were going to crawl through the sewer. "What for?"

"We're having lunch at the club Saturday afternoon and I need you to look your best."

Merida rolled her eyes and looked out the car window. The club her mom was talking about was the country club where all the rich families in Burgess spent their free time. Merida hated going there, but her mom wanted her start acting more like a lady.

"I don't want to go," Merida told her.

"I'm aware, Merida. But, you're going, anyway."

Merida let out a frustrated cry. "That's so unfair!"

"When you're eighteen you don't have to go with me anymore."

Merida glared at her mom. "I don't turn eighteen until April."

Elinor smiled at her. "I know. So, until then you will do what I tell you to do _without _complaint. Do you understand?"

"But, mom-"

"No buts, Merida. You're going to the lunch on Saturday; end of discussion."

-X-X-X-

"Good morning, girls!" Giselle greeted as she climbed into the backseat of Ariel's car.

Ariel, Charlotte and Rapunzel greeted her before Ariel pulled away from her house.

"Okay, now that Giselle is here, tell us how your trip to California was. Don't spare any details," Charlotte gushed.

Ariel smiled at her best friend. Ariel's father was a professional swimmer and made a lot of money through sponsors, so he took Ariel and her sisters to California for the last couple weeks of summer. "It was awesome! I spent the whole time at the beach and I learned how to surf."

"Tell us about the boys," Charlotte said.

Ariel giggled. "They were so cute. Especially my surfing instructor."

"David Kawena," Charlotte swooned.

Ariel nodded. She had sent pictures of David to her friends, but didn't tell them much about him. Mostly because she didn't know him well herself.

"He's originally from Hawaii," Ariel told them.

"How exotic," Giselle said.

"Did anything happen between you two?" Rapunzel asked.

Ariel blushed. "A little. We went out to dinner a couple times and-"

"Oh get to the good stuff already!" Charlotte interrupted. "Did he kiss you?"

"Yes."

Ariel's friends squealed in excitement and Ariel giggled.

"How was it?" Rapunzel asked.

"Really good."

"Well, what happened after you left? Are you guys, like, in a relationship?" Giselle asked.

"No. It was really just a summer fling," Ariel admitted.

-X-X-X-

Vanessa groaned as the sun came in through the window and shone in her face. She rolled over and caught a glimpse at the clock on the nightstand. She jolted awake and jumped out of bed when she realized school was going to start in ten minutes. It took her a moment to realize she was in her boyfriend, Gaston's, room. She bent over the bed and violently shook Gaston.

"Gaston, wake up!"

"What?" Gaston grumbled.

"We're gonna be late for school."

Vanessa hadn't planned on sleeping over at Gaston's house, so she didn't have a change of clothes. Luckily she stored a couple pairs of panties and a bra in one of Gaston's drawers, just in case. She put on the clean under garments, then pulled on her jeans from the night before and grabbed one of Gaston's t-shirts. It was much too big for her, so she tied it up to show off her stomach.

"Why didn't you set your alarm?" Vanessa demanded as she and Gaston got into his car.

Gaston jammed the key in the ignition and started the car. "I forgot."

"Dumb brute."

Gaston got them to school in record time, but they still ended up being late.

"Great," Vanessa muttered as she got out of the car. "First day of school and we're late."


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sorry if the first chapter was a little slow-going and dull. It was really just an introduction. I hope it gets better. Reviews are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you.**

* * *

_"Welcome to Burgess High."_

It was pretty much all anyone said to Meg that day, though no one seemed to actually mean it. Especially Odette's friends. Odette had invited her to sit her and her friends at lunch, but it was obvious her friends didn't want Meg there.

The only friend she made was a boy in her English class named Jim Hawkins. Their teacher, Mrs. Radcliffe, partnered everyone off to complete a Shakespeare review to see how much the class remembered from the previous years. As it turned out, Meg and Jim didn't remember much. They ended up eavesdropping on the other students and copying their answers.

All in all, Meg managed to survive her first day at Burgess High. For the most part everything went smoothly (with the exception of finding out her locker door sticks sometimes, making her late for her history class).

Meg made her way outside and looked for Odette's car. After scanning the parking lot a couple times, she didn't see any sign of Odette or her car. Meg sighed and pulled out her cell phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she found Odette's number and then hit the _SEND_ button. It took Odette a while to answer, but she finally did.

"Hello?"

"Odette, where are you?"

"Who is this?"

"It's Meg."

There was a moment of silence. "Oh, shoot! Meg, I totally forgot. I already left. You can get another ride home, right?"

"What? I don't know anyone, who is gonna-"

"Great! I'll see you at dinner."

Just like that Odette hung up, leaving Meg to fend for herself. She let out a frustrated groan.

"Everything all right, new girl?"

Meg glanced up at a boy who was now standing next to her. He looked familiar and Meg was almost certain he was in her math class, but she couldn't remember his name.

"I'm fine," Meg finally replied.

"You're Odette's sister, right?"

"_Step _sister," Meg corrected.

He nodded. "Right. I think she already left, if you're waiting for her."

Meg shifted her weight and put her hand on her hip. "I know."

"Do you need a ride?" he asked, carefully.

Meg raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't even know you."

He pretended to look insulted. "Flynn Rider? You don't remember me? I sat on the other side of the classroom from you in Mr. Grimsby's math class?"

"Right. Of course. My mistake."

Flynn smiled at her. "Anyways, how 'bout that ride?"

Meg scanned the parking lot one more time, though she wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for. "Sure. That would actually be great. Thanks."

Meg followed Flynn across the parking lot to a black pick up truck. It was in surprisingly nice shape for belonging to a teenager. Flynn jumped into the driver seat, the leaned over and unlocked the passenger side door for Meg. Meg pulled open the door and climbed into the seat. The inside was just as clean and nice as the outside. Flynn caught Meg looking around the truck as he backed out of the parking space.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?"

Meg glanced up at him. "It's just a truck."

Flynn frowned. "She's not just a truck."

Meg shook her head. "Boys and their toys."

Flynn eased to a stop at a red light and gently ran his hand over the dashboard. "She didn't mean it, Raine."

"Raine?" Meg repeated.

Flynn nodded. "It was Nick Cage's last name in _Gone in Sixty Seconds._"

"I'm aware. My car's name is Memphis," Meg admitted.

"Where _is_ your car?"

Meg bit her lip, slightly embarrassed. "My mom took the keys last week after I got into a fight with my step dad. I don't get them back until next week."

Flynn nodded. They didn't say anything else the rest of the ride. Before Meg knew it, Flynn was pulling into her driveway.

"How do know where I live?"

Flynn put his truck in park. "Odette and I were friends in junior high."

"Ah." Meg took off her seat belt. "Well, thanks for the ride, Flynn Rider. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Do you need a ride tomorrow?"

"Nah. I'm riding with Odette."

Flynn pulled a pen out from behind his ear and then took Meg's hand in his. "In case she forgets again," he said, writing something on the back of her hand, "call me."

Meg glanced down at the sloppy numbers on her hand. "Will do. Thanks again."

"Any time."

-X-X-X-

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Merida; stop fidgeting and stand up straight."

Merida rolled her eyes and straightened up. In the last hour she had tried on five different dresses, each one more frilly than the next. This one was all white and covered in lace. Prior to that afternoon, Merida didn't even know they made frilly sundresses. But as she was learning, they made frilly everything. Lucky her.

Elinor clasped her hands together. "Oh, Merida, you look lovely."

"I feel ridiculous."

Elinor ignored her and turned to the saleswoman. "Do you have this dress in blue? Blue really brings out her eyes."

The saleswoman smiled politely at her. "Of course. I'll go get one for you."

"Thank you."

Merida stepped down from the small platform just outside the fitting rooms. "Can I take this off now?"

"Yes."

Merida walked back into her stall and closed the door behind her. There was a narrow full-length mirror on the wall and Merida caught a glimpse of her reflection. The white dress was a contrast to the jeans and t-shirt she normally wore and she almost looked like a different girl; a girl that belonged in a country club. A girl that wasn't her.

_Why doesn't she understand that this isn't me? _Merida thought as pulled off the dress.

There was a light knock on the door. "Merida, dear, try this on."

Merida reached up for the dress her mom was handing her over the fitting room door. Merida slipped the dress on and stepped out of the stall.

Elinor's face lit up. "You look beautiful! It's perfect." She turned to the saleswoman. "We'll take it. Do you have any shoes that would match?"

"Of course. Right this way."

"Go ahead and change, Merida. I'll be right back."

"Sure," Merida muttered, going into the fitting room. "Just go ahead and pick out shoes for me. Don't worry about whether or not I like them or if they're comfortable."

Merida quickly changed back into her clothes and instantly felt more relaxed. She draped the dress over her arm and headed out just as her mom returned with a shoebox.

"You're gonna look gorgeous on Saturday."

Merida handed the dress to her mom. "Why is this so important to you?"

"You're a young lady, so you should act and look like one."

"I look like me," Merida said.

Elinor set the dress and shoes on the counter and the saleswoman rung them up.

"Of course you do, dear," Elinor replied. "But is it too much to ask for you to look like an _improved_ you?"

Merida wanted to tell her that yes, it was too much to ask. But she knew it was a rhetorical question and it was best to just keep quiet and avoid getting into an argument with her mom at the store. Merida knew how to pick her battles.


	3. Chapter 3

Vanessa smiled to herself as Gaston nibbled on her neck. He reached over her and pulled the lever to recline her seat back. He shifted clumsily over the arm rest between them and lowered himself on top of her. Within seconds they were back to making out. Gaston drove Vanessa home from school every day since they started dating the summer before junior year and with Gaston it was never just a simple kiss goodbye; it always ended up being a full make out session.

Gaston slid his hand over her bare stomach, then wrapped his arm around her and pulled her body closer to his. He then returned his mouth to her neck. He sucked on the skin gently and Vanessa did nothing to stop him. That is, until she saw her dad come outside. She quickly sat up and pushed Gaston off her. Gaston let out a groan of protest, but sat back down in the driver seat.

"I'll call you later," Vanessa told him, before getting out of the car.

As she closed the door to his car she caught a glimpse of her neck in the mirror on the door and saw Gaston left a hickey. She quickly pulled her hair over her neck and looked over at her dad. He was glaring at Gaston and didn't tear his eyes away from the car until Gaston pulled out of the driveway and drove away.

"Hey, dad," Vanessa greeted.

Her dad turned his attention to her. "Your principal called me."

Vanessa shrugged as she continued to walk inside. "What did he want this time?"

"He said you were late to school this morning." He closed the front door behind them. "It was the first day of school, Vanessa."

Vanessa dropped her backpack on the floor in the kitchen. "I know. I just overslept. But I was only a couple minutes late. It wasn't a big deal; Principal Mazur just has it out for me."

"Vanessa, I'm tired of you blaming everyone but yourself. It's not your principal's fault you were late."

Vanessa pulled open the fridge and grabbed a can of Pepsi. "I'm not saying it's _his_ fault. He's just making a bigger deal of this than it actually is."

"Did you spend the night at that boy's house?"

Vanessa stared at her dad as she opened her soda. "Was I home last night?"

"Vanessa..." Her father was getting annoyed.

"You don't even know, do you? Who were _you _with last night?" Vanessa snapped.

"Don't change the subject."

"Did she spend the night?" Vanessa set her can on the counter. "Is she here now?"

Vanessa walked out of the kitchen and made her way upstairs to her dad's room. Her father called after her as he followed her, but she ignored him. She pushed open his door just in time to see a woman come out of the master bathroom. She was clearly caught off guard to see Vanessa standing in the door way. She pulled the robe she was wearing tighter around her.

"You must be Vanessa," the woman said.

"And you must be the flavor of the week," Vanessa retorted.

"Vanessa, you're out of line," her father said.

"_I'm _out of line?" Vanessa turned back to the woman. "Do you know he's _married_? That's my mother's robe you're wearing."

A look of shock, anger and then disgust crossed the woman's face. "I-I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't." Vanessa pushed passed her dad and went back out into the hallway. "I'm sure you guys have a lot to discuss. I'll leave you to it."

Vanessa went down the hall to her room and closed the door behind her. As she packed an overnight bag she heard the woman's muffled yelling. Vanessa couldn't help smiling to herself. This was not the first time she's caught her dad cheating on her mom and she was sure it wouldn't be the last. Still, she never got tired of getting him in trouble.

Vanessa slipped the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder and headed out of her room. She came out into the hallway just as the woman was coming of her dad's room. She paused awkwardly for a moment, but Vanessa kept moving. She picked up her backpack off the kitchen floor as she cut through it, then grabbed her soda and escaped out the back door. As she crossed her backyard, she sent a quick text to her friend, Helga Sinclair, to let her know she was spending the night at her house tonight. She then hopped over their chain link fence and left her dad to clean up his own mess.

-X-X-X-

Ariel chewed on her pen cap while she read her history textbook. _Count on Mr. Porter to give us homework on the first day, _she thought. She couldn't say she was surprised, though. Her sister, Andrina, was a year ahead of her and warned her that Mr. Porter gave out an insane amount of homework, every day. Ariel had managed to get most of it done in her study hall and was now just going over the review questions at the end of the section.

Her phone rang from across the room, startling her. She got up from her desk and couldn't help singing along with the Demi Lovato song as she walked over to where her phone was lying on her bed. She picked it up and saw it was an unknown number. She debated whether or not to answer it, but in the end decided she needed a break from her homework and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Ariel?"

"Yes..."

The boy's voice on the other end sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Oh good. I was afraid I dialed the number wrong. I couldn't remember the last four digits of your phone number. I dialed 5374 first but got some old lady that could barely hear me. I guess your number is 53_4_7. It actually spells _legs_."

Ariel thought for a moment. "I guess it does. Who is this?"

"Oh. Sorry. It_'s _David."

Ariel's heart leapt slightly. She was surprised he was calling her, but still excited. "Hi, David. I'm sorry I didn't recognize your voice and it came up as an unknown number. Did you get a new phone?"

David let out a small laugh. "Yeah. I dropped my last one in the water."

Ariel laughed, too. "Again? Wasn't that your third phone this summer alone?"

"Yup." He almost sounded proud. "Anyways, how are you?"

Ariel sat down on her bed. "I'm good. How are you?"

"Great. I had a quick break between lessons and thought I'd give you a call to see how your first day of school went."

"Uneventful. All first days are the same."

"Don't I know it. I don't miss high school at all."

"I don't blame you. This is my last year and I can't wait to graduate."

"Slow down. Being an adult isn't that great, either."

Ariel lied down and stretched out. "You make it look so easy and fun."

"I'm lucky; I have a job I love and I make a decent amount of money doing it. But, most people aren't as lucky."

"I suppose not."

There was a muffled voice on the other line. "Already?" David said to them. "They're early; they can wait. Ariel, are you still there?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry about that. My next student just showed up early."

"Should I let you go?"

"Nah. I have a couple minutes." There was a pause. "Where were we? Oh yeah; growing up. Speaking of which, what do you want to do? When you get out of high school, I mean?"

It took Ariel a second to catch up. David was always busy and usually talking to more than one person at a time, so he talked fast, which Ariel wasn't completely used to.

"I don't know. Maybe a swimmer like my dad. Or a singer," Ariel replied.

"You sing?"

"It's more of a hobby, but I love it."

"Then you should pursue it. Never settle for less than your dream, Ariel. Remember that; you'll need it when things start to get hard and look impossible."


End file.
